Imagination
April 2008 - Issue 02
SOAPBOX
I firmly believe that the technical certifications and professional accreditations that we work towards are of great use to our companies and to our users. They represent a lot more than just a badge. But, whilst they prove that we can ‘walk the walk’, they are often mis-understood and under-valued.
Accreditations such as Investors in People, and technical standards such as PRINCE2, ITIL and ISO 20000 make for better businesses. But have we all become blasé? We struggle to achieve these badges of honour, putting our people through a massive number of hoops, but then we tend to underplay the value that they represent to our client base and we don’t publicise them actively enough.
In an increasingly competitive world where standards and client expectations (especially of technology companies) have increased, we need ways to set ourselves apart. We also need to make ourselves easier to deal with, and accreditations can help here.
When approaching new relationships or contracts, it’s so much easier for a potential client to put a tick in the box rather than undertake a lengthy assessment of the calibre of staff, products and services. It also establishes a sense of affinity and identification which can only help a prospective partnership.
So, for my top 4 accreditations …. For an organisation to succeed everyone has to perform well, equipped with the right knowledge, skills and motivation to work efficiently. Investors in People provides a framework to help you find the best means of achieving success through your people.
On the technical side, a structured project methodology such as Prince2 is a must. Recognised universally, use of Prince2 means fewer mistakes, makes it easy to learn from those that you do make, and ultimately saves everyone money and effort.
Then you have ITIL, the most widely-accepted approach to IT service management. ITIL provides best practice, drawn from the public and private sectors internationally. Based upon ITIL is the ISO 20000 standard, which provides an integrated framework for delivering and managing IT services. ISO 20000 is the real ‘gold standard’.
At Image Integrators, we have IIP and ITIL, we use Prince2 and are working towards ISO 20000 accreditation. I fervently believe these accreditations help us to become brilliant, consistent and accountable companies. They put us ahead of the pack when companies are seeking partners and suppliers. At Image Integrators, we certainly look to use companies who have these accreditations. So, my advice is, get accredited, then make a noise about it!